I had a wonderful dinner with a sweet friend last night. She enjoys biking, as well, and has gotten involved to a degree that I would also be interested in…and not being one to like to waste my time reinventing the wheel…I asked to meet with her to pick her brain.

Always believing that there is a lesson in what God allows in our life (even when we bring it on ourselves…thus the “make all things good”), I have done some soul searching the past few days. What I realized is that I was really frustrated with the insistence for “athletic and toned” and “slender” of the online men when I first jumped on in my mid-40’s. But now that there is much more openness to “about average” at this age (I’ve never considered myself “average”, thanks anyway)….I’m the one who wants to be more toned for ME. And, also, though I still must be cautious to keep my children as my priority over activity, I don’t want to wait until they’re grown (or until I find someone to ride with) to begin truly enjoying biking for ME. I know there are things I can do in these last 4 years of raising kids to help get me to the place where I won’t be starting from scratch once the nest is empty; and I’m blessed to say that I received exactly the information that I was hoping for from my friend. So, once the kids get back in school, I’ll begin exploring my options.

But I also shared with her about what’s been going on in my life this past year…and several times, it brought tears to her eyes or chill bumps. At one point she said that it will be amazing to see what God has in store for me–she said that because God is so clearly working in my life. And I agree that there is no other explanation for the events…and I was gently reminded:

So often we allow the busy-ness of life to keep us distracted from God. Personally, I believe that is exactly what the enemy wants–he’s into “divide and conquer”…and if he can divide us from God, he can more easily “conquer” our day.

That’s why I share so vulnerably in this blog….to remind us all that it doesn’t matter if we “feel” it…God is IN every moment. The saying goes, “Faith is Believing, not seeing.”…but if we want to “see” God IN the moments of our lives…all we must do is be STILL…and look UP. For the Epic God of the Bible is still writing Epic stories…but instead of enjoying them vicariously through reading them…we have the even greater privilege to LIVE them. And some of us just live to write to tell about it. 🙂

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10 NKJV)

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” (2 Timothy 1:7-10, 12 NKJV)